Every substance in this
world manifests itself in different modifications of its own
accord. The manifestations of the substances are their actions.
These actions are called condition, change, modification or
behaviour. Each substance is the creator of its own
modifications. It does not at all need the cooperation of any
other substance for these modifications. People not acquainted
with the scheme of things, in vain, become unhappy with the
desire of cooperation of others.

Student :-There can be
no activity without its cause. How can, therefore, the quest for
causes be regarded as of no avail ?

Speaker :-You are
correct, when you say that no activity materialises without its
cause. But do you know what a cause is? The stuff that produces
the activity is the cause thereof. These causes are of two kinds.
Substantive causes and instrumental (conventional) causes. That
which itself changes its condition is called the substantive
cause. That which does not change its own condition, but upon
which suitability is imposed is called the instrumental or
conventional cause, e. g., in the making of an earthen jar, earth
is the substantive cause and wheel, stick and the pot maker are
instrumental causes.

The substance in which the
modification is born is the power of the self and the
modification is the object i.e., Upadeya. From the point of view
of the conventional cause, the same modification is the changed
condition i.e., Naimittik. The same manifestation is thus
illustrated in two ways, one from the point of view of the power
of the self and the other from the point of view of the
conventional cause.

Student :-Please explain
this arrangement more clearly with examples ?

Speaker :-in the
emergence of the action Jar, substantive cause is earth, from
which aspect action jar is the object and pot-maker, wheel, etc.,
are conventional causes. The same action of 'jar' from the point
of view of the conventional causes is the changed condition of
the substance. These are just two aspects of the same phenomenon.
I think you have understood this.

Student :-Yes sir,
understood well.

Speaker :-Then apply
these concepts of substantive or conventional causes on a
necklace and right faith.

Student :-The substance
gold is the power of the self and necklace is the desired
manifestation. Fire, goldsmith and others are conventional causes
and the necklace is the new condition. In the same manner the
soul substance or the attribute of faith is the power of the self
and right faith is the desired manifestation. The removal of
perverted faith karmic matter is the instrumental cause and right
faith is the changed state.

Speaker :-Well said.

Student :-If the power
of the self is the substance or the attribute, it is always
present and so the alleged action should always be happening.

Speaker :-This power of
the self is of two kinds

(i) the eternal self power and

(ii) the momental power of the
self.

That substance or attribute
that undergoes the change itself is the eternal self power.

The momental power of the self
can be illustrated in two ways :-

*An eternal current of manifestations flows in the
substances and the attributes. In that eternal current the
immediately previous momentary manifestation is the momental
power of the self and the manifestation immediately after the
present moment is the action.

**The momentary capacity of the substance to change in
that particular modification is the momental power of the self
and the manifestation is the action.

The momentary self power is
called the forceful cause also. The eternal self power is always
present, but if that is regarded as the completely forceful
cause, alleged actions will always be in the process of
happening. As such the forceful cause is the immediately previous
manifestation of the substance and the momentary ability of the
substance itself. Action cannot be fruitful without these two and
it always materialises when the two are present.

We can say conclusively that
the substance itself with its previous modification is the power
of the self and the substance with the immediately next
manifestation is the desired action. Favourable external
circumstances and objects are conventional causes and the alleged
modification their action.

Student :-Are
conventional causes of two kinds

* indifferent and

** promptor.

Speaker :-Yes, they have
thus been divided. Though ether, anti-ether, space and time
substances having no desires of their own and'being inactive are
called indifferent substantive causes, and the soul substance
having desires and being active, and the matter substance being
active only, are called promptor instrumental causes, yet in the
emergence of the action all are indifferent like the ether
substance. Acharya Pujayapad has said in lshtopdesh :-

"An ignorant being cannot
be made a learned one by teaching and in the same way a learned
one cannot be made an ignorant being, because non-self substances
are only conventional causes just as the ether substance is for
self-moving soul and matter."

The Sanskrit Tika further
clarifies this saying :-

A misgiving can arise to the
effect that thus all the external causes will be eliminated. This
has been answered thus :-Others like teachers and enemies etc.
are in the emergence and destruction respectively of the alleged
action are only instrumental causes. In reality the ability of
the substance is the prime cause in the happening or
non-happening of the event or action.

Student :-The soul of
Mahaveer Bhagwan in the previous life of a lion attained the self
with the teaching of two Digamber Jain Saints having the power to
fly in the sky. It was on account of this that he became Bhagwan
Mahaveer in later phase. Why don't you recognise their teaching
as the instrumental cause ?

Speaker :- We don't deny
the importance of teaching as an instrumental cause. If teaching
alone can fetch welfare of the soul, many people listen to the
religious discourses, why don't all those attain purification of
the soul ? Why did not Mahaveer start the process of the
purification of the soul in the life of Marichi ? Was there any
paucity of instrumental causes ? Was the teaching of the two
Digamber Jain Saints, moving in the sky, better than the teaching
of Rishabhdeo ? Bharat Chakravarti was his father, and the first
propounder of religion Rishabhdeo was his grandfather, and yet he
sounded opposition to the teachings of Bhagwan Rishabhdeo in the
religious congregation. Was there something lacking in the
message of Rishabhdeo ?

This proves that when the self
is completely ready, the desired action materialises and that
time the favourable instrumental causes are always present; one
has not to try to find them. Where was the chance of any teaching
in the cruel phase of the lion's life ? But when the soul force
of thelion became sufficiently powerful, the instrumental
cause descended from the heavens. It was, therefore, said that
the seeker of rite soul should not be restless in finding
favourable instrumental causes. Who says that instrumental causes
are not there ? However, we have not to make a search of these.
When the action in the self materialises, the favourable
instrumental causes are always there.

Action does not follow the
instrumental causes; instrumental causes are so called according
to the action. Man interested in sensual joys develops attachment
seeing the dead body of a prostitute, while a detached person
develops feelings of renunciation. The same prostitute is said tobe the cause of attachment for a man of senses and
renunciation for the detached person. If action happen in
accordance with instrumental causes, each one should have
feelings of attachment or renunciation.

Pandit Todarmalji asserts,
"Non-self substances do not forcefully obstruct the alleged
action; when our own manifestations are undesirable, then it is
only an external cause, while another man spoils his thoughts
without any instrumental cause. As such, there is no instrumental
causation as a result. Thus, it is perverted faith to find fault
with non-self substances."

Neither the instrumental cause
doe anything by force nor does the self collect or bring
instrumental causes together. The mutual relationship is very
simple. This simplicity of the relations has been beautifully
portrayed by Pandit Todarmalji thus:-

"If karmic matter by its
own efforts hurts the sentient nature of the soul and if it
fetches external material, then karma must be animate as well as
possessing strength; but it is never like that; the relationship
is very automatic. When the karmas reach the stage of fruition,
the soul itself leaves its natural poise and behaves otherwise
and the other substances also behave in their own manner. Just as
an ostrich and a she-ostrich which meet in the wake of sunrise do
so of their own nature; no body separated them out of ill-will
forcibly and nobody has brought them together in the daytime out
of compassion. Such is the relationship of the desired action
with the instrumental cause. The same holds good in the case of
karmas."

Student : Why should we
involve ourselves in this controversy of the actual doers and the
instrumental cause thereof ? What is the harm if we do not know
these and what is the gain from their knowledge ?

Speaker : To understand
the correct nature of the power of the self and the instrumental
causes for the materialisation of an action, is not a battle of
wits or a controversy. The real issue is that people regard one
as the doer of the other and are unhappy on that count. If we
understand the real nature of both, this controversy will be
finished.

Because a person does not have
a correct knowledge of the intrinsic power of the self and the
conventional causes of its manifestations, he throws the blame of
his guilt on the conventional causes and wants to remain
innocent. A thief, for example, cannot be free from the guilt of
theft by throwing the fault on the moonlight; in the same manner
this soul cannot be free from unhappiness and grief by throwing
the responsibility of its own delusions, attachments and
aversions on the karmas. In such a state we lose the capacity to
find our own faults and to see within us.

By understanding these in their
right perspective, the pride of being able to do something in
others is gone. The inferiority due to the desire of help or
support from others is finished. The desire of association of the
non-self substances and the consequent restlessness is eliminated
and natural, quiet, undisturbed state of the soul emerges.

Time is now over. Give deep consideration to
whatever has been taught to-day, you will be happy.